49 Fire
Location: Hwy 49 and Rock Creek near Auburn, Placer Co., CA
Date of Origin: August 30, 2009
Cause: Under investigation
Situation as of 09/01/2009 6:30 pm
Personnel: 204
Size: 343 acres
Percent contained: 100%
63 residences and 3 commercial structures have been destroyed
Costs to Date: $1,200,000 (est.)
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Situation as of 09/01/2009 7:00 am
Personnel: 355
Size: 340 acres
Percent contained: 80%
50 residences and 10 commercial structures (preliminary assessment) have been destroyed
All evacuations on the 49 Fire have been lifted for residents with valid identification or proof of residency. County chaplains will be on hand for those residents whose homes were burned by the fire. Law enforcement officers will also have an increased patrol in the area. The following roads remain closed to non-residents: Rock Creek Road east of Hwy 49, Shale Ridge east of Hwy 49, Locksley Lane east of Hwy 49 and Dry Creek from Blue Grass Dr. to Hwy 49. PG&E crews continue to work to restore power and gas but many residences in the fire area remain without.
I watched this unfold on the TV and it was an extreme situation that all the agencies involved responded to VERY well. The fire-driven winds of up to 50 mph leapfrogged the fire from house to house to house. It is simply amazing that there were no fatalities. One firefighter working on the Station Fire in LA lost his home in this fire. Water-dropping helicopters performed a syncronized dance in hitting the hot spots with bucket drops. It appears that the winds caused a powerline to spark and ten it was off to the races. Homes were completely consumed within minutes. One woman was in the shower when the smoke rolled over the hill and she barely had time to dress, pick up a few things, and jump in her car, as her roof caught on fire.